LARGE ANIMAL ATTACKS - Medicine for Mountaineering and Other Wilderness Activities - page 478

Rhinos have a reputation for being ill tempered and aggressive and have become more
so in areas where they are constantly disturbed. They are notorious for charging without
reason.Someobservershavesuggestedthattheyareaggressivebecausetheygetfrightened
easily, and mothers are known to charge readily to protect their calves. In addition, rhinos
havepooreyesight.(Reportedlytheyhaveevenattackedamovingtrain.)Theyrelyontheir
strong sense of smell to tell them anyone is approaching, but if they are upwind they may
not know that humans are nearby until they are close.
When attacking, the rhino lowers its head, snorts, and breaks into a gallop, reaching
speeds of thirty to thirty-five miles per hour. It gores its prey or strikes powerful blows
with its horns. In spite of its bulk, rhinos are agile and can quickly turn in a small space.
Waiting until the last second then jumping aside has been suggested as a means for avoid-
ing rhino gorings, but most rhinos are in protective parks and reserves and individuals are
not allowed to leave their vehicles (or the backs of elephants in India and Nepal), where
theyarereasonablysafe.However,thesebeastskillanumberofindividuals,particularlyin
areas where their ranges overlap sites of human habitation.
Hippopotamuses
The hippopotamus is a large mammal found in rivers and lakes throughout much of
Africa, although, like most large African animals, its population is declining and its ex-
istence is threatened, primarily as the result of habitat loss and hunting. It is semiaquatic
and more closely related to whales than to other hoofed animals. The average weight for
adult males ranges between 3300 and 4000 pounds. However, male hippos appear to con-
tinue growing throughout their lives, and older males can get much larger, reaching at least
7000 pounds and occasionally 8000 pounds. Females are smaller than their male coun-
terparts, with average weights between 2900 and 3300 pounds. They reach a maximum
weight around age twenty-five and have been known to live up to forty-five years in the
wild.
The hippopotamus is characterized by its stout body, stubby legs, and large bulbous
head. The jaws can open upto 150degrees, a display indicative ofanger.The tusklike can-
ine teeth are long, and the incisors are sharp. The bite force of an adult female hippo has
been measured at 1821 pounds. (An attempt to measure the bite of an adult male had to be
abandoned due to the animal's aggressiveness.)
Though ungainly in appearance, the hippopotamus can run as fast as thirty miles per
hour, which is faster than an Olympic sprinter.
Hippos leave the water at dusk and travel inland, sometimes up to five miles, to graze
on short grass, their main source of food. They spend four to five hours grazing and can
consume 150 pounds of grass each night. Although primarily herbivores, they have been
known to consume meat, usually when their normal diet was not available.